The Lock
by therubyone
Summary: The story takes place after The Tree House episode, and tells what happens when Drake and Josh get a lock for their bedroom door, and finally go on their double date with hot identical twins. WARNING: Contains het and slash.
1. Chapter 1

Title: THE LOCK

Author: therubyone

Length: 8 chapters, 9,706 words, complete.

Rating: Mature – contains het and slash (starting with Ch. 5)

Pairings: Drake & Josh/Hot identical twins, Drake/Josh

Characters: Audrey, Walter, Megan, Drake, Josh, Eric, Hot Identical Twins

Notes: Story begins where "The Tree House" episode leaves off, later that night, and continues for one week

Disclaimer: With humble respect to the powers that be at Viacomm and Nickelodeon who created and own the show, I own nothing, seek no profit

Spoilers: Contains specific information from "The Tree House" and contains general information from the entire D&J universe.

THE LOCK

Chapter 1.

Sunday morning, the wee hours

Audrey Parker Nichols was in shock. The evidence had been piling up over time, little by little, but now she could no longer deny to herself that her daughter Megan was _not_ the perfect little angel she seemed to be. The school psychologist had recently contacted Audrey about some routine middle school psychological testing results: although Megan had a high I.Q., she also showed signs of some deep-seated and disturbing problems. Audrey's reverie was broken by the sound of the front door opening, and the lights being switched on. She stood up as Walter entered the living room, not even realizing she was wringing her hands. "How is he?" she asked, anxiously.

Walter put his hands on her shoulders, saying, "Don't you worry yourself. He's just dehydrated. He's going to stay overnight so they can observe him and keep the IV in for the fluids. The rib wasn't broken, just bruised, so that's been taped up for his comfort. The chin laceration required a number of stitches. As far as I know, Drake can come home tomorrow, whenever Dr. Holland decides to release him."

Josh had been pacing anxiously in the shadows in the foyer, when Walter turned and told him to go on up to bed. It had been a long, tiring day, and Josh was ready to obey, but he had to get something off his chest first: "Mom, Dad, I hope you won't ground Megan over this. It will only give her more time to think up ways to torture me and Drake. All we are asking for is a lock to put on our bedroom door, and you two can have a key, if you can find a safe place for it."

Walter sighed and answered wearily, "We'll discuss it in the morning, son. Just get some rest."

Audrey hugged her stepson, saying, "Honey, I'm glad you're okay, aside from the bruises . . ." Audrey wanted to say "Sorry I never believed you all this time," but the words died in her throat. She kept replaying the scene in her head from earlier that night, it seemed so unreal to her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Audrey's Flashback (to a few hours earlier, late Saturday night):

Audrey and Walter had returned home from an enjoyable evening out with the Schneiders just before midnight. The house was dark and silent. Her SUV and the boys' VW beetle were in the garage, so the boys must have kept their curfew. As she was checking to see that everything was put away in the kitchen, Walter got himself a glass of milk. "Why don't we check on the tree house before we turn in?" He put the empty glass in the sink and took Audrey's hand, leading her outside to their neighbor's back yard.

The scene that greeted them was disastrous. The tree house, freed from its supports, lay on its side. Walter let out a long, low whistle, which triggered movement and noise from inside the tree house. "Megan," called Josh in a low, hoarse voice, "I am begging you on my knees to help us get out of here. The raw meat you gave us didn't agree with Drake and he's been puking his guts out. And when the tree house fell, he got hurt. I think he needs to see a doctor. I know you've never cared anything about me, but, p-l-e-a-s-e, for the sake of the brother we both love, have some mercy. I know you're mad about missing Janie's party, but you've kept us in here over seven hours now."

Walter's jaw dropped in amazement as he exchanged a horrified look with his wife. Audrey blurted out in a rush of words, "Josh, it's us. We're home now. What is wrong with Drake? What happened? What's Megan got to do with this?"

With an equally rapid flood of words in reply, Josh quickly explained their predicament, about how the uncut door in the 4th wall had trapped them, how a vengeful Megan had unplugged the drill and refused to give them the saw, a squirrel had bitten him, then, after the first few hours they had tried to break down the wall, which instead caused the tree house to fall off the posts onto its window side. The work light got broken in the fall, and the heavy, metal toolbox had fallen onto Drake, slicing open his chin. Being trapped in the dark with no ventilation made them so crazy, they managed to use their combined weight to turn the tree house, again, onto its side, with the window open to the air, while Drake kept feeling sicker as the night continued to settle over them.

Walter found the orange extension cord on the ground and passed it inside to Josh, along with a working battery-powered light, saying "If you can't see well enough to undo the screws with that power drill, I'll saw an opening from this side myself." He wondered how the drill had become unplugged but couldn't bring himself to believe that nonsense about Megan. However, he was prepared to reserve judgment, and possibly punishment, until the present predicament had been resolved.

When the fourth wall of the tree house came down, Audrey and Walter were overwhelmed by the smell of vomit and urine and at the sight of a semi-conscious Drake curled up in the corner, blood smeared all over his face, breathing rapidly and groaning. Taking command of the situation, Walter said, "Audrey, I'll get these guys to the hospital and have them checked out. You'd better stay here in case Megan wakes up. She'll be afraid if she's in the house all alone." Josh was crouching over Drake, waking him.

Audrey couldn't believe what she was seeing, what she had already heard: the tone of Josh's voice, plaintive and humble, when he didn't realize to whom he has speaking, _begging_ his own little sister for _mercy_. As Walter and Josh assisted Drake, stumbling, through the yards and into Walter's convertible, Audrey traipsed behind them, her eyes filling with hot, stinging teardrops. Audrey waved good-bye as Walter drove away with her sons.

Once the men were gone, remembering the reference to the uncooked hamburger, Audrey checked to see that the grill had indeed been used. Then she looked in the refrigerator. The beef patties had come frozen in a box, so she knew how many needed to be accounted for. Four patties were gone, along with three buns; the rest of the meat was cooked and neatly covered with plastic wrap. She went to the backyard garbage bins. Near the top of one, she saw two perfect cheeseburgers, placed in their fresh white buns, lying uneaten amongst the other trash.

Distractedly, Audrey returned to the living room, where she noticed the flashing message light on the answering machine. Pressing the button, she heard a very cranky Eric, "Those dates you set us up with, Megan, some joke. They ditched us right after we paid for the meal. Very funny. Ha ha. We sat there for two hours waiting for them to come back from the ladies' room. By any chance did your brother Drake put you up to this?" Beep. Audrey noted the call had come in after Megan's bed time. Why on earth would Megan be so vindictive towards her brothers? How could it be possible?

Audrey sat down on the couch, in the dark, to ponder these things and to wait to hear from Walter. She remembered a few incidents from the past, for instance, the birthday cake for Josh that had mysteriously ended up in the trash, smashed to crumbs, before she and Walter came home from work. Walter called from the E.R., to report that Josh had a bruised shoulder and collarbone, did not need rabies shots and was otherwise fine and presently drinking some Gatorade, while the doctor was working on Drake as they spoke. With the phone still in her hand, Audrey continued to sit in the darkness while her mind rapidly mulled over the recent chain of events.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Early Sunday evening

Drake Parker was feeling much better as the humiliating ordeal of having been trapped in the tree house drifted further off into his memory. He came upstairs to the bedroom to find Josh, still wearing that stupid tool belt, doing something to the door with a screwdriver. At the sound of Drake's footsteps, Josh turned and greeted his stepbrother with a smile that lit up his whole face, shouting excitedly "Is the greatest day or what?" Taking Drake's arm, on his uninjured side, Josh pulled him into their bedroom and shut the door. "Ta da! Look, Drake, I just put in this deadbolt and a new doorknob. I don't know what's up with Mom, but she finally agreed we could have a LOCK on our door, to keep Megan OUT of here. We can use the deadbolt from the inside and then set the doorknob to lock when we leave."

"Wow!" Drake replied, "Something's going on with Mom alright. She acted like I was made of glass all the way home from the hospital. She didn't yell about the tree house at all. In fact, she told me that you and Walter were going to finish it today."

Josh answered, "We already did, bro, and Dad was the same as Mom, never a harsh word the whole time, and _he_ did most of the work. I think they may actually believe, for once, that their darling little Megs was mean to us and caused us harm. They must be feeling guilty."

"Well," Drake replied, "we shouldn't question a miracle. And speaking of miracles, I called THE TWINS and explained what happened. They felt so bad to hear that I was in the hospital, they stopped being angry and are willing to give us another try next Saturday night! Can you believe that Megan told them we moved to Canada and then sent Craig and Eric in our place?"

Josh reacted to Drake's good news with loud whoops and gleeful jumping upon his bed, singing "We're going to kiss identical twins."

"I just hope this rib is better by then, so it doesn't cramp my make-out style," smirked Drake, who also felt the glee, but could not react by jumping without causing himself pain.

"And what about the chin?" asked Josh, pointing to the pressure bandage marring Drake's otherwise perfect features, "won't that interfere with your lip action?"

"I should have the stitches out in time for the date," replied Drake, smugly, pushing his auburn hair out of his brown eyes, "Plus, if you recall that line from **The Replacements**, that 'Chicks dig scars,' it only increases my already awesome animal magnetism." He was smiling so broadly that it did hurt his face, a little bit.

"Before I forget, here is your key, which I put on a Mystic Mountain souvenir key ring for you, so keep it safe," fussed Josh, following Drake as he headed towards their beat-up couch.

"I guess that bad things can lead to good things after all," reflected Drake as he stuffed the key ring, complete with gleaming blue key, into his jeans pocket. Settling himself on the couch, Drake found that after the events of the last 36 hours he had just enough energy left to chill in front of the TV. Grabbing the remote control, he suggested to Josh, "Now let's watch some _Celebrities Mining Coal_."

Setting aside the tool belt, Josh slid into the seat on the other end of the sofa and handed Drake a can of Mocha cola. "Ah, this episode ought to be hilarious, with Gary Busey, Chyna Doll and one of those grown-up kid actors . . ." agreed Josh.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

Megan Parker was suspicious. Her mother had questioned her at length about what happened to the boobs in the tree house, causing Megan to wonder if Audrey no longer trusted her. Megan was used to prevailing and she wasn't about to let carelessness bring about her downfall now. She thought she had been thorough and wondered what triggered this sudden concern for her brothers; any fool could see that everything was their fault, anyway. Walter said nothing to Megan, but she felt that he was staring at her sideways, when he thought she wasn't looking his way. Megan would have to be more vigilant than ever.

As Megan got older, she was getting busier, and because of her lack of free time, the fewer pranks could she pull on Josh and Drake, so the pranks had to be meaner, more elaborate ones that she could savor longer, and most importantly would keep her brothers cowed with the least effort involved. The tree house had been a lucky fluke. After all, it wasn't her fault that idiot Drake forgot to cut out the door, but keeping them in there, that was sheer revenge for those boobs involving her in their doltish screw-up with the rocket. In the end it created an extra day of work for Josh and sent Drake to the hospital with nothing too serious, in addition to robbing them of their prized date with the twins. How great was that? She knew how Drake hated painful injections. Too bad it hadn't been the other way around, though. It would have been an even worse torture for Drake to have to finish the tree house, working _alone_ with Walter, and to have Josh stuck in the hospital, because that was what Melon Head feared most. Since she hadn't planned or controlled this event, she would just have to be satisfied that their whole weekend had been ruined. It was exactly what they deserved for making her miss her BF Janie's party.

As Megan dragged her heavy book bag and oboe case upstairs, to put them away, she was too preoccupied thinking her evil thoughts to notice the hardware additions to her brothers' blue bedroom door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

Tuesday afternoon

Josh Nichols was bursting with happiness. Everything was going his way. He had been a late bloomer but as he outgrew the painful changes of adolescence, Josh had emerged with his generous nature and kind heart intact, had grown tall, slim and handsome, had survived a first romance, complete with sexual experiences, and then had successfully starting playing the field. He felt he had now graduated to the next level of social sophistication to be invited to go on a double date with his stepbrother, who was also his best friend, and not just any ordinary date, but one with hot, identical twins. He sat on the living room couch, with his studies arrayed on the coffee table before him. He could barely stop smiling and humming long enough to finish the task at hand. As soon as he completed this homework, he was going to go upstairs, see if Drake needed any help with history, and then he would start planning what he would wear on the date. He made a mental note to gas up the car on payday and run it through the carwash. Josh liked to be prepared in any situation.

While not spectacularly successful in the academic arena, Drake Parker was well versed in the languages that had no words, the languages of musical expression and sexual attraction. Even though nobody ever told him these were legitimate languages, all seemed to recognize his fluency. His own mother often told him he'd been born under a lucky star. Things did seem to go his way. That this resulted from his pleasing appearance and natural charm made him grateful that he had these gifts, to compensate for the areas in which he was not blessed. The fact that girls of all ages had been keenly interested in him since puberty was both a blessing and a curse.

Yes, he had been able to date many girls, which in turn boosted his self-confidence even more. But keeping them from trying to possess him exclusively, while still managing to have them maintain good, friendly feelings towards him, after he slipped away, was frequently a tightrope act. He couldn't help it that his smile was like a magic spell he could cast on nearly all women, no matter what their age (with rare exceptions, like his English teacher Mrs. Hafer, who outright hated him). He was fascinated by the female sex, yet also slightly afraid of them. He had a sixth sense that could unerringly detect the moment when a girl's slavish adoration ticked over into obsession and triggered his own need for distance. He was never dishonest about his goals in life and he never had to lie to have his way with girls since they offered themselves so freely. The lies always came later when he needed to make a fast exit from any budding relationship. He was the type who would be able to invite at least twenty ex-girlfriends to his wedding because he had remained on such kind terms with most of them.

Drake applied himself daily to the study of these nonverbal languages and improved all the time. Developing his musical talents had to come first right now. As his band got tighter and sounded better, the songs he wrote grew more complex, and he was getting more frequent and bigger venues for their appearances. With girls, he was starting to be able to maintain a relationship for several weeks in a row before getting too gun-shy to continue. He honestly didn't know how Josh had done it, staying for months with Mindy, courting her parents' favor, and getting HER to break it off when the feelings got too intense. He was looking forward to observing Josh in action during their double date, among the many other things he hoped for on that special night.

Drake sat at the larger desk in the bedroom he shared with Josh, chewing on a pencil, trying to concentrate on his class notes. He was cramming for a history test the next day, and he knew he needed to get a 70 or better to keep his grade in the passing column and to keep himself from getting grounded. As well versed as he was in music and girls, facts and figures were a dyslexic nightmare that bored him without end, but nothing was going to prevent him from having that double date.

Drake assumed that Josh had learned much during his steady relationship with Mindy. He could tell by the fact that Josh was more confident with girls lately and didn't ask for his advice in that area any more. And, surprisingly, Josh had won their week-long bet by a spectacular margin. Turning away from further speculation about the opposite sex, Drake opened his textbook to see if he could match up any of his hastily scribbled facts to a timeline, and before he knew it, the pencil had slipped from his hand, his head fell forward onto his notebook and he was sound asleep and dreaming.

Drake dreamed he was at the beach. The waves sounded like a chorus of perpetual sighing. It was twilight and he was sitting on a beach blanket in a little palm grove with Josh and the twins – what were their names again, Julie and Jessica? He couldn't even remember which one he was with. They looked alike and were dressed alike, the same outfit in different colors. What incredible racks these girls had! He was thisclose to one of the twin girls, kissing her, so he slowly inched his hand under her green pullover sweater, waited a moment, and not meeting any resistance, verbal or physical, deftly proceeded to undo the clasp of her bra. Oh, the glorious moment when those lovely, round globes swung free! How could anyone top the feeling of a breast in the hand, firm yet supple, like clay to the artist, to be kneaded and shaped into their mutual pleasure. Julie (Jessie?) leaned backwards, murmuring sweet encouragement as she drew him down by the lapels of his jacket, peeling it off him, and then he was on top of her.

Drake glanced briefly at Josh and Jessie (Julie?), who were already tussling on their side of the blanket. Josh's shirt was completely unbuttoned and her sweater pulled up, his big hands covering both of her breasts and their lips locked together, tongues busily communicating in their own form of Morse code. Drake turned his attention back to his own twin -- Julie or Jessica? This diva needed no name for she was Female – he inhaled deeply, appreciating the scents of her perfume and shampoo, noting how the starlight reflected off the glitter on her closed eyelids. As he again hungrily pressed his lips to hers, he tasted cinnamon? Peppermint? He lost himself in the moment, knowing his instincts would unfailingly guide him.

Both couples continued their celebration of the joys of the flesh for what seemed like infinity, when suddenly the girls were kissing and fondling each other, tops completely off now, as if they were featured on **Teens Gone Wild**. Drake felt like he would burst into flames! His vision was fogging over as volcanic pressure started building at the base of his spine and the blood pumping through his slender body turned to molten lava. He wanted to watch and could not have looked away. He wanted to join in. And in the manner of dreams, everyone's clothes disappeared. Next he felt two sets of breasts pressing against him as the girls took turns kissing and caressing him, his excitement continuing to build with every touch. It was getting difficult to breathe. He felt a rush in his abdomen like riding on a rollercoaster.

The dream changed again as he realized that it was _Josh_ who was beside him, familiar, yet become like a supercharged force of nature, kissing him deeply, powerfully, like there was a special secret in his mouth that Josh was determined to tease, suck or probe right out of him, one way or another, with one hand holding his cheek and the other tightly around his waist, keeping him close. Unable to resist, he realized the he was not only responding, but almost swooning. It was so real, he could feel the strength in Josh's arms, smell Josh's Axe _Phoenix_, sense his breathing, and see his half-closed green eyes. He could even hear Josh huskily repeating his name.

"Drake, wake up. Drake. We can study for about 20 minutes before dinner. Wake up. You must be dreaming, you're in such a deep sleep," said Josh, continuing to prod Drake's shoulder.

"Huh?" Drake's head shot up, leaving a puddle of drool on the American history notes. "I just had the weirdest, and I mean THE weirdest dream," he said, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs away.

"Don't tell me, dude, you were dreaming about our hot twins, and it was x-rated! I haven't dreamt of anything else myself. If only the real date turns out half as sexy," kidded Josh.

"Yeah . . . something like that," replied Drake weakly, looking confused. His dream was so unexpected and the sensations so unnerving, for once he was at a loss, the language master himself faced with a new and unknown tongue, one that had held no interest whatsoever for him, until now. It was disturbing and exciting and he firmly pushed the images into the back of his mind for the rest of the evening. He could brood over it later from the privacy of his platform bed.

After dinner, with all their studies put aside, Josh and Drake sat watching television with the sound turned down low, making competing lip fart sounds as people moved across the screen. They tried to match the sounds with the actions, to see who could crack the other one up first. The game ended when they were both collapsing in hysterics.

"Stop it, you're making my ribcage ache," insisted Drake, still laughing, "I swear nobody can get to me like that but you."

Twisting the ends of an imaginary villainous 'stache, Josh arched his eyebrows and leaned forward, "And where will you get your lip farting fun in the future, little boy, when we are all grown up, hmm?"

"Oh, those days will be here soon enough. I guess you'll have to phone it in," answered Drake.

"Then you better stop wrecking all your cell phones," replied Josh, following his comment with a pillow to Drake's head. A brief and vigorous pillow fight ensued, until Drake raised his hands for peace, in an effort to protect his healing chin. It was late and they needed to sleep.

"One last question," rumbled Josh, "where do you think we should take these twins? We can't get too busy in a movie theatre, if you know what I mean. What about the beach?"

Drake, sitting up in his bed, replied hastily: "NO, anywhere but there. Sand fleas. Might get too cold."

Josh replied, "Well, they'd need us to warm them up, right? If it's outdoors, we need to be sure of some privacy. I don't think all four of us can make out together in the car."

Drake answered, "Since they go to a different school, I hardly know them. If we take them to the movies, we can test the waters, maybe see where they want to go afterwards, and follow their lead."

Josh then said, "But we need to have a back-up plan, if they don't have any suggestions."

Drake, in agreement, said "Let's give it some thought then."

"Okay," Josh answered, "Good night."

"Is the door locked?" asked Drake, rhetorically, "Then hit the lights."

Drake went hastily through his prayers, giving thanks for his many blessings and asking blessings in return on his family, even Megan, and please let him pass the test tomorrow, amen. As he waited for the veil of sleep to fall, his dream from that afternoon returned unbidden, the sensations like wisps of smoke curling through his mind, as he wondered what on earth conjured that last part of the dream.

Sure, he was probably closer to Josh than anyone else alive, and they had been getting along better than they ever had before. But Josh had a lot of body issues. Josh could barely manage to pee in front of his own brother from another mother! Now that Josh had shed so much weight, he had emerged a happier, more active and less needy version of his old self, but Drake, sifting through his memories, was certain that Josh had never given off any of _those_ kinds of vibes, none that he'd ever noticed, anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

As Audrey and Walter got ready for bed, they conversed softly as the busy household slowed to an evening hush. "I know we've always said 'no' to pets before because of your allergies, but I'd like to give it a try, just so Megan will have something to nurture," said Audrey.

"Well, I guess a hamster would be a good starter pet that wouldn't stop my breathing," replied Walter, "but I hope you're not doing this because you're beginning to believe the boys' silly stories."

"Walter, we've grounded them for so many things and they have never been shaken from what they say is the truth, absurd as it has seemed. I have to give them some credibility after this incident. And Dr. Stein confirmed that Drake has brought this up in their sessions," said Audrey, with pain in her voice.

Walter answered her, "Josh and Drake both seem to be well-adjusted to me, in spite of anything Megan might have done to them. It's natural for brothers and sisters to fight."

Plaintively Audrey replied, "Think how they must feel, though, not being believed, being terrorized by a 12-year-old. It could prove traumatic in the long run."

Walter wanted to wrap up this conversation and get to bed. "Let's try getting her the hamster and we'll both keep a closer watch on her for now," he said.

"Maybe I'm just feeling guilty because I've spent so much extra time on the job lately. Now that the kids are older, I've really been concentrating on my work," Audrey said. "So, I'm going to need your help, Walter, if you can plan to spend some extra time with Megan."

Getting under the covers, Walter answered, "Then we're agreed. Now come to bed, dear."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Saturday evening

The big night had finally arrived. Drake had achieved the necessary score in history to keep his parents and teacher satisfied. The Volkswagen had been cleaned and shined. Drake and Josh were also clean and shiny. Like mirror images of each other, they gave a final check to their hair, took a last breath mint, each reached into his own pocket to touch the requisite lucky talisman condom package, drew in a breath, and said, simultaneously:

"This is it."

"Jinx."

Earlier they had tossed a coin to decide that Josh was driving. They arrived at The Premiere and staked out a table while waiting for the girls. Josh asked Drake, "Do you know which one will be my date?"

"No, they'll size us up and sort that out between them," replied Drake.

And then they were approached by the hot, identical and blonde twin teenage girls, wearing similar tight fuzzy sweaters and short denim skirts, bare legs, and coordinating Vans. "Hi, Drake!" they called out in unison.

The girls were by no means plain, but their shapely figures were so spectacular from the neck down that it drew the eye away from their faces. Drake greeted them, "Hello, ladies. I'd like you to meet my brother Josh."

Lacy, giving Josh the once over, said "Oh my God, Josh, what beautiful eyes you have," as she took his arm, while the other twin, Lara, reached up to touch his dark curls.

"—and such gorgeous hair," added Lara. "Well, I'm Lara and it seems my sister Lacy has dibs on you tonight." Smiling, Lara moved to Drake's side, feeling equally pleased with her choice.

Taking the role of emcee for the occasion, Drake shepherded the group to their table. "Have you and Lacy decided what kind of movie you're in the mood for tonight?" he asked Lara. After 20 min. of conversation over cheese fries and drinks, the consensus for viewing was the latest supernatural horror thriller, **The Reaper and the Creeper**.

As each on-screen teen suffered a gruesome death, Lara squeezed Drake's hand a little tighter and buried her face in his shoulder between screams, while Lacy had practically burrowed into Josh's side and had pulled his arm around her. The film grew less and less interesting to the boys as their testosterone levels began to rise.

With the final credits rolling Lacy suggested: "Now let's go back to our house –"

Lara, interjecting, " - our parents are out and only our brothers are at home –"

Lacy continued, "- and we won't even see them, they'll be as quiet as little mice."

Lara, interrupting, "- If they know what's best for them."

The two young couples left the cinema and got into the yellow VW convertible, the girls squealing, "This is the CUTEST car!" and so the boys squired the girls back to their home.

The twins led the boys downstairs to a large family room. Lara lit candles while Lacy put on some music. Lara advised the boys, "The only thing we have to watch for is the early return of our parents, who are at a Monte Carlo night."

Lacy added, "They might come back sooner if they aren't winning."

Lara sat down on the sofa, smiled at Drake, and patted the seat next to her, while Lacy steered Josh into a reclining chair, and squeezed in beside him, practically in his lap. The conversation was minimal with only the soft sounds of making out just audible under the music. Lacy whispered something to Josh, took his hand and led him to the darkest part of the room behind the sofa and in front of a bookcase, an area not visible from the steps leading down to the room, and she pulled him down to the floor and out of sight. Drake could hear a belt unbuckling and the sound of a zipper but he kept his eyes on Lara, who indicated that she needed to stay on the sofa, since it was her turn to be the look-out, but oh, she did have a special surprise planned for him.

Meanwhile, Josh was discovering that Lacy was very talented with her mouth and hands. However, the proximity of the other couple and the unusual location for their sex play made it nearly impossible for him to enjoy the pleasure Lacy was expertly trying to provide, though he made every effort to give as good as he was getting.

Returning from the powder room, Lara stood in front of Drake as she lifted her skirt, saying "Surprise, no underwear!" Drake was transfixed, making no reply, feeling instant heat and pressure in his groin, as Lara reached for his belt and zipper. "You two are like a dream come true for us," she explained. "We've always wanted to date identical twins, but we've never been able to find any our age. But two BROTHERS who are both wicked smokin' hot, it's the next best thing," she leered as she knowingly straddled his lap, lifted his hands and placed them on her chest, purring "Drake, did you bring any protection?"

And so the race was on to see which person would finish first. Lucy began to moan softly, apparently coming down the home stretch, when the hall light flicked on over the staircase, stopping the rhythm of the oldest dance on earth dead in the water.

"Oh, NO!" the twins cried out simultaneously.

Lacy jumped up, grabbing clothes from the floor, and at top speed ushered a partially-dressed Josh into the nearby laundry room. Lara jumped off of Drake, who quickly got his pants pulled partway up, as Lara arranged herself on his lap, facing the stairway, attempting to hide the evidence of his desire without crushing him, putting her arms innocently around his neck. Two adult heads appeared around the corner from the stair landing. Drake swallowed nervously. Lara squeezed his shoulder to steady him.

Lara called out, "Hi, Mom and Dad! We just got back from the movies. Come on down if you want to meet our dates. This is Drake. Lacy and his brother Josh are outside gazing at the stars." Drake smiled, gave a little wave, and nodded his head towards the parents.

The twins' father smiled and answered, "That's okay, princess, we just wanted to see that you were home. We won't disturb your date. You carry on with your evening."

It was too late for that, though. As soon as the grownups got back upstairs and shut the door, Drake firmly scooted Lara off his lap, asking "Uh, where is that bathroom?" and, clutching his trousers, running in the direction Lara pointed.

Lara sighed and got up to turn on the lights and put out the candles. Moments later, Josh and Lacy emerged from the laundry room, both fully clothed, but looking rumpled, hair askew. Josh quickly moved to the couch and sat down in the middle, eyes searching the room for Drake. When Drake emerged from the powder room, Josh stood up with the car keys in his hand. Drake kissed Lara on the cheek and Josh gave Lacy a bear hug and without a word they both headed to the nearest exit, which was a set of glass doors leading out onto a side yard patio.

"Bye," piped the girls in unison, "Thanks."

Once they were in the car and moving, Drake broke the silence. "What's going through your mind right now? It's unlike you to be . . . speechless."

Josh, gritting his teeth, answered, "That whole scene was pretty freaky. I mean, those twins were completely in control the whole time."

Drake, expressing sympathy for the twins, told Josh, "Looking like they do, they must have had plenty of male attention, so they just go for what they want."

Josh, unappeased, answered, "You think? I'm saying their next stop is the Playboy mansion. They were so out of our league, excuse me, I mean out of _my_ league! Part of me is kind of in shock, like I just lived out a crazy fantasy I didn't even know I had, and part of me feels, I don't know, violated."

Drake, trying to be tactful, asked, "Was that your first time since Mindy?"

Josh, suddenly bashful, answered quietly, "I had a close encounter with an aggressive young woman during my dating marathon, so, technically, the answer to your question is no."

They pulled up at a stop sign and Drake playfully grabbed Josh's right hand from the steering wheel and kissed it. Drake spoke playfully, too, "Oh, Joshie, I wanted this to be the greatest night of our lives. I hope you're not too flipped out by what happened. I never would have planned on anything that would upset you."

That got a little chuckle out of Josh, who bantered "Thanks for your concern there, buddy. If you must know, that carpet behind the sofa reeked of cat pee or something gross, which made it very difficult to concentrate."

Drake, in rebuttal, "At least you didn't have to sit there bare-assed in front of the folks, wondering if they were going to call the cops or worse!"

Josh, fervently, "Oh, I wish I had a picture of your face at that moment!"

Drake, continuing, "I think we both got more than we bargained for this time."

The boys started laughing and rehashed the highlights of the date during the rest of their drive home. Drake, summing it all up, said "Yeah, this would make some story to tell our grandchildren – if it wasn't x-rated!"

Then Josh grew reflective. "Something you said – about the twins and the effects of constant male attention – is that how it is for you, with girls after you all the time?"

Drake, answering thoughtfully, "In some ways it's the same. You'd expect that guys would be pressuring the twins for sex. But with girls and me, it's not always that straightforward. See, they want to build a little fence around you, and if you make it with someone repeatedly, they convince themselves that they are falling in love with you, or that you owe them something. When you do it with someone new, though, it's like a first time all over again. I dig having a girl pay attention to me, like I'm the greatest thing since apple juice, but best of all, what I like is being _seen_ with a beautiful girl. When I'm out with a new girl, watching people's heads turn, the date is an audition, to find out whether there's any chance I'll be spending more time with her. With some girls, it's just sex – they want to nail you because they think you're a hottie. But there are lots of other ways they try to get closer, too, like gifts, favors, coming out for my shows. So what if you don't have anything to talk to her about, it might turn out that the nonspeaking part of the date will be worthwhile. After all, another flavor of the month will be coming right along."

As Drake spoke, Josh felt all kinds of internal sirens and alarms being triggered. He decided he was going to have a long talk with Mom, to let her know that Dr. Stein wasn't doing Drake one bit of good. Josh was definitely going to bring up this conversation again to Drake, and explore the ramifications with him, whether he wanted to or not. Josh had seen enough Oprah to recognize the signs of sexual addiction. Too much female attention had simply not had especially positive results for Drake Parker. For the first time since the day he had met Drake, Josh felt sorry for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Drake and Josh got home just before their curfew and quietly went upstairs to their room. With a flourish, Josh unlocked the door, and after they entered, Drake turned the deadbolt, listening for the satisfying 'thunk.' They went to their separate corners and changed into their sleeping apparel.

As Drake pulled off his shirt, he said, "You know, it won't be long before Megan picks that lock or does something devious to get in here."

Josh, sitting on the bed removing his socks and shoes, in reply, "True that. But give her a few days before she loses interest in her new hamster."

Drake, stepping into lounge pants, said "We can at least enjoy a sense of security until then. It's nice feeling safe and private in here."

Josh, tossing his dirty clothes into the corner, said, "Yeah, our own little fortress of solitude."

Drake, nodding in agreement, "And we'll never forget our first double date together."

Josh, questioning, "So you don't think it will be our last double date?"

Drake affirmed, "Let's see if we can find two girls we can have a conversation with and who maybe won't be so eager to do more than just make out the first time around."

"I hear you, brotha," answered Josh, emphatically. "Let's see what's on the tube."

Using the remote, Josh ran through the channels: late night movies featuring a variety of bedroom scenes, MTV music videos (all breasts and booty), a college boy comedy about guys desperate to get laid, and, finally, cartoons. Whoa, it's those sick-o late night "adult" cartoons. Even the animated characters couldn't seem to keep their minds off sex, all kinds of sex. Several minutes later a steamy commercial for a chat-line appeared.

"Aw, just what I needed to see – _not_," moaned Drake, adjusting himself at the crotch, "After all that and I'm still horny. Lara and I didn't get to our, um, final destination," he said with disappointment in his voice.

Josh, concurring, "Well, neither did I. But there was just no way after the parental units got home. I wanted to race out of there so fast like a bat out of hell."

Then Drake said, "I'll tell you something else. I had this sexed up dream the other day that was kind of a premonition of tonight."

Offering half of a Megathon bar, Josh urged, "Do tell."

It was easy to tell the beginning and middle of the dream, as they sat there in the comfortable surroundings of their room, with the television flickering like firelight in the cozy darkness. Drake paused and chewed the candy slowly while thinking of the best way to tell the last part of the dream. He felt a peculiar need to share, as though he owed it to Josh to be completely honest with him, since Drake had heard rumors about the twins, had anticipated how the evening might play out, and had _not_ warned Josh ahead of time (so he wouldn't get all hyper about it).

Apprehensively, Drake continued "You know how dreams go, where the scene just changes, and you don't know why or how . . . after the girls started doing me, I somehow ended up with . . . YOU. It was insane, I couldn't believe it, we were making out just as natural as can be, and that's when you woke me up." Drake felt like he was really putting himself out there, but this was Josh, who accepted him totally and with whom he could be himself.

To Drake's relief, Josh reacted by slapping his own thigh, emitting a loud "HA!" and further commenting "I guess that part of the dream was getting us ready for a life in prison when the twins' parents had us busted for 'interfering' with their underage daughters. You should be grateful I didn't let you sleep."

Drake answered, pulling a sour face, "Ewwww, just thinking of getting boned in jail, God forbid. I couldn't say where that dream was going. I never had one quite like it before. Have you?"

Josh, teasing, wagging his index finger, said "You mean, have I dreamt of orgies with twins, or have I dreamt of getting it on with you?"

Drake, trying to be casual, answered, "Er, either one?"

Josh, running a hand through his hair, sighing, "What a crazy night. Another strange detour, _this_ conversation."

Drake, a trifle flustered, quickly prompted, "If you're offended, you don't have to answer."

Josh, without hesitation, answered, "Honestly, I did have a dream similar to the one you just described. Having to wait an extra week for this big date with the twins, after being trapped together in that tree house and thinking we missed out, it must have ratcheted up our lust levels to an unbelievable degree. Or else we're both psychic and it was a warning that those little lolitas were determined to have their way with us."

Drake replied, "No harm, no foul, as they say. It's just a shame they couldn't finish what they started," then, pouting, "My 'nads are killing me."

Josh, in no uncertain terms, "Well, I'm not going back for seconds. Are you?"

"Sometimes even I would prefer not to be used," replied Drake. "I'd rather not be a notch on someone's belt, or wherever it is that girls put their notches."

They settled back into silence in front of the TV. Josh started channel surfing again and stopped at Kim Basinger in **The Door in the Floor**, featuring a montage of torrid sex scenes, showing her with a teenaged boy in a variety of INTERESTING positions. Josh, dropping the remote: "Oh. My. God." This captured his full attention and he sat there dumbfounded.

Drake also found the movie scene compelling; he was filling up inside by the second, fit to burst, with incandescent heat, and the build-up was propelling him into action. Following the promptings of his inner guidance system, he turned to Josh on impulse, picked up the remote and put the sound on mute. At this, Josh turned away from the screen to look at Drake, surprised. Drake told him, haltingly, "I hope you'll trust me for a minute. I want to try something. Let's just call it an 'experiment.' And if it's a mistake, I know you'll forgive me, because you always do, when I'm selfish or thoughtless. I'm counting on that trust and forgiveness right now."

Not waiting for a reaction, with a swift, graceful movement, Drake leaned over, put his hands on Josh's shoulders, and gave Josh a firm exploratory kiss on the lips, to see what it was like. Drake then asked, "Should I stop or keep going?" Drake felt like he was standing on the brink of a precipice, poised to fall, waiting for Josh's answer. Josh Nichols was the person who was the primary constant in his life, who, no matter how Drake annoyed and mistreated him, accepted Drake unconditionally. And here he was, the great Drake Parker, risking that relationship, making himself vulnerable for the sake of his sexual curiosity.

Josh was on overload after the evening's activities. He was gratified and taken off guard by the speech Drake just made, acknowledging for the first time that he was aware his actions were ever selfish or thoughtless. Countless times Josh had to suffer the consequences of those actions! Yet whatever Drake proposed, Josh was always predisposed to follow him, for this was the pattern of their relationship, for better or worse. He considered Drake's request – another adventure, another 'situation,' and what might be the outcome? Josh knew that he and Drake would always be part of each other's lives, but with the end of high school in sight, they wouldn't be under the same roof much longer. Ever since the day he moved in, Josh had been trying to win Drake's attention and approval. They had shared so many experiences and they had both been changed, hopefully for the better, during their time together. The very fact that this "experiment" came as a request made all the difference. This time Drake wasn't trying to browbeat, cajole, nag, trick or beg Josh, he was asking permission. Since the minute Drake had invited him to go on a double date, Josh could feel a slight shift taking place in their relationship, placing them on equal footing at last. In this instance, even though Drake would be leading him into new territory, it would also be new for Drake, and they would be going there together. They would both need to rely on mutual trust and forgiveness, because of the lines being crossed.

Josh gave his answer, with intensity, "I'm willing to comply with this experiment."

Drake moved closer and Josh turned to face him. This time they both leaned into it and before long were kissing in earnest, lips parting, tongues exploring, but still with an aura of cautious hesitation, unsure what to do next or how to proceed on their journey of discovery.

After four years of being brothers with Josh, Drake was used to being hauled around by him like a puppet on a string. So it was no surprise when, after some 10 minutes of making out, Josh stood and picked Drake up with both arms, practically throwing Drake over his shoulder, used the remote to power off the TV, and then carried Drake over to the bed. Josh: "You're still recovering from your injuries and I'm flat out exhausted. We might as well be comfortable for this, um, experiment."

Drake, also tired and overwrought, agreed, "Good idea."

Sitting and facing each other on the bed, Josh tipped up Drake's face with one hand to look at the fresh, pink scar on his chin, revealed in the moonlight that shone brightly through the round window over his bed. Josh inquired, "Are you sore there?"

Drake replied, "I am. Lara was too wild to be gentle and I didn't much care to stop her at the time." He then started to pull off his shirt, saying, "The tape is really itching under the cloth." Josh automatically reached over to help remove the shirt.

Next, Josh put his special pillow under Drake's head and shoulders, as he pushed him backwards to lie down. Josh said further, "I don't want to press on your rib, either," as he ran his fingers lightly over the tape on Drake's chest.

Drake was impressed that even under these circumstances, Josh was as considerate as ever. Drake told Josh, softly, "Just lay down on your side, facing me, and I'll meet you in the middle."

Josh, crawling across the bed, fretted to himself, "This is different. Kind of awkward and . . . weird."

Drake replied calmly, "We can stop any time you want to," as he recalled to himself just how many times he had said those same words to his female dates. Drake peppered Josh's face all over with hard, fast kisses, and laced his fingers through Josh's soft, dark hair.

Josh responded with slow and deliberate open-mouthed kisses, pausing only to say, "I'm tasting chocolate." Josh reached down to where Drake's leg became the slight curve of his buttocks and rested his hand there, tenderly tracing the outline of his skinny ass cheek.

In his own element, Drake alternated sucking and nibbling gently on Josh's lower lip, a sure-fire patented Parker move. Then he was glad of the darkness that hid the red spots flushing across his freckled cheekbones. The difference was that he cared about Josh: he cared about how Josh would react and what Josh would think, and reminded himself to keep it honest without switching on the autopilot. By way of a secret apology, he stuck his hands under Josh's shirt as he rubbed noses, Eskimo style. Drake found that the snogging was in reality very much like his fateful dream, and he noticed appreciatively how careful Josh was to avoid hurting him. He smiled inwardly over the fact that Josh felt the need to comment, even during their lovemaking, but so be it, if that was what made it okay for Josh.

Josh was amazed that after all the events of this night, he found himself going with the flow, stretching his personal boundaries to an unknown degree. He kept telling himself that because it was Drake, everything would be okay. As the two young men embraced, the quiet darkness of the room mingled with the moonbeams coming in through the window, closing around them like a cocoon, their physical exploration of one another's bodies sending electrical currents shooting through them in a closed circuit.

Drake's instincts were insistently nudging him again, powerful inner needs demanding satisfaction. He was practically aching for physical release, which spurred him to remove Josh's hand from where it rested on Drake's shoulder and move it below his waist, placing it on his heavy throbber. He then reached for Josh's erect member, and, finding him equally aroused, asked "Is this okay?" as he slipped his hand in through the fly of Josh's lounge pants.

Josh responded by doing the same to Drake and stated, "Oh, you know I can't look."

Drake, grinning, reassured him "You don't have to LOOK," as he started moving his right hand in a practiced way, "just don't STOP."

Josh, stopping, complained, "We're getting in each other's way."

Drake, frustrated, not wanting to stop, demanded, "Then who goes first?"

Josh, in a squeaky little voice, asked, "Rock, paper, scissors?"

Drake, starting to get crabby at this point, muttered, "Oh, I'll help you get off first, so don't panic." He got Josh to move over, onto his back. Drake positioned himself lengthwise alongside Josh, resting his head on Josh's chest, listening to the quickening heartbeat. Regretting his outburst, he whispered nicely, "Here we go," as he slid his right hand under Josh's waistband and commenced jacking with rapid strokes, eliciting a startled cry from Josh when he spilled his load minutes later.

Josh was amazed and extremely satisfied that Drake had continued to ask for the go-ahead every step of the way and had chosen to take care of Josh's needs first. Before his inhibitions could resurface, Josh mustered his courage, sat up, pulled Drake up into a sitting position and turned him around, tugged his pants down out of the way, and got behind him, saying "I told you, I can't look."

With eyes closed tight, Josh performed the reach-around, his breath warm on Drake's neck, his left arm tight around Drake's chest, ribs forgotten now, his left hand making circles around Drake's nipple, his right hand pumping away so that Drake could climax, too, which he quickly did with a ragged gasp and a grunt, "Ohhhhhhhhhh." With profound relief, Drake leaned back against Josh's chest and with both of his own hands affectionately squeezed the arm that encircled him. Drake, sighing contentedly, announced, "Our experiment has been successfully concluded."

Not moving, still breathing heavily, Josh asked forlornly, "Does this mean we're gay?"

Drake, unconcerned, answered, "Nope. I'm still into girls, aren't you?"

Josh replied, "Of course. But I saw this episode on Oprah . . . about _metrosexuals_."

Drake, interrupting, not wanting to hear about Oprah, disengaged Josh's arm from around him and turned to look him in the eye. "Listen to me," said Drake, "When it comes to sex, I've always found it best not to over think it. It is what it is. This was one more experience we have shared in our lives."

Josh ruefully fingered the bling in his earlobe, and added, "It's one more story _not_ fit for the grandkids."

Drake, patiently, wanting to get his point across, stated, "This was just for us. Between us. We don't need to judge it. We just got to know each other better and in a new way. I feel so close to you right now."

Josh, giving up and starting to tickle, said sweetly, "Well, you ARE close to me."

Drake laughed and attempted to escape the tickling hands, saying, "You know what I mean. Let's move up to my bed -- no wet spots." Patting Josh's shoulder, Drake further told him, "I promise not to let you go sleepwalking and fall down the ladder."

"I'm warning you," said Josh, only partially kidding, "if you wake me up with your snoring, I am gonna pinch you."

At last they were close and comfortable together in Drake's single bed, with Josh on the side next to the wall. Snapping back from the brink of unconsciousness, Josh had one final thought: "Hey. What if Megan still has cameras in here?"

"Dude, she's been asleep for hours, thank God, and not watching us," answered Drake with conviction. "Even supposing she taped us -- using infrared -- she is going to get the shock of her life when she views it. And even IF she would ever dare to bring it up, for once, we are going to pound the pudding out of her!"

Drake smacked his right fist into his left hand for emphasis. Then Drake rolled over so he could reach out and touch Josh's face with his long, slender fingers.

Josh could feel the guitar-made calluses on Drake's left fingertips.

Putting himself nose to nose with Josh, Drake advised his best friend and stepbrother, "Now quit worrying for five minutes and go to sleep, will ya?" And he rolled over again so Josh could spoon him.

Yawning, sleepily, Josh put his arms around Drake and murmured "Man, you're the best."

Drake, relaxing, in reply, mumbled softly "So are you, Josh, so are you."

END


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